In his ongoing series in the Gospel of John, Pastor Chris Anderson comes to this beautiful passage of scripture, and carefully continues uncovering the ocean of revelation contained in Jesus' claiming to be the Good Shepherd. Read this powerful excerpt from today's message.
“Imagine a peaceful setting. There's no wind. There's no apparent trouble. There are sheep that are grazing; apparently safe. They're being watched over by hired hands. Maybe the hired hands are leaning on their staves, and letting their minds wander, when suddenly the peace is broken and a ferocious band of wolves surrounds the sheep, and starts moving in snarling. Biting. Lunging. Threatening.
“The hired hands see the danger and they know that the sheep are in peril, and yet without a thought they run for their lives. They don't care about the sheep. They don't own the sheep. Their lives are much more important than the lives of sheep, so they escape.
“Imagine that same scene and you have the flock's owner that sees the sheep in peril and sees the wolves, but instead of running he throws himself between the wolves and his flock. Imagine that he shields them with his own body, and as they lunge and bite, he begins to be torn so that they won't be harmed. Imagine that he is bleeding, and that his life is flowing from him. And imagine that because of his intervention the flock is protected, and the wolves are killed. But in the process that owner . . . that shepherd has lost his own life.
“The good shepherd is the one who lays down his life for the sheep.”
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Chris Anderson is the founding pastor of Tri-County Bible Church, planted in 1998. He blogs at "My Two Cents," writes hymns at ChurchWorksMedia.com, regularly contributes to the OBF Visitor, and has authored the Buckaroo Bible Club children's program. He and his wife Lori are...
